What's in a Name?

                   Just to get all of the fancies out of the way... Hello! My name is Candice, but, the username I often use on social networks, is Iris. Hence the lovely picture display I placed up there just for you. Oddly enough, I happen to have a lot of online names. As the main base, I tend to use Midori4life. It's been years I've used the name Midori, to the point where some family members call me by that name. Midori means green in Japanese. Green just so happens to be my favorite color, and anyone who knows me knows that. This is because, well, I tend to wear green a lot. But to get back to the point of usernames and me having so many. Let me back track a little.
                    Typically when joining a site or a game, or some sort of group on the internet, the creators of the site give you the option to register, with a user name and a display name. The two names can be the same, they could be different. Typically, the username is something very exact to the person, so if someone else tries to set a username that is already in use, a error message would come up saying as much. "Sorry! This username is already taken!! Please choose another!". This being the case most people tend to come up with something so unique to them that they can use it over and over for multiple sites.
                    For example someones username may be queenstar82. That username will be used for the site to attach the activities of queenstar82 to queenstar82. Hope I haven't lost you yet, cause there is more. This is why most sites give the option of having a display name as well. Usually the display name is able to be changed where as the username is not. If a person wanted to change their username, often times, they'd have to create a new account to associate themselves with. Where as the display name, typically is able to be changed with the weather.
                   All this to say, that usually my username is Midori4life, but my display name is often Iris. Sometimes it varies, based on my mood. For the most part though, everyone online calls me Iris. Hence, as I mentioned before, the beautiful display I made and placed up there just for you!

                   Alright! Now on to the fun stuff. Not sure if you've realized this or not, but I am more than sure that many people sign up on line and register for sites, like more than one. Like I said a bit earlier, a lot of people tend to use the same one. As for me, all of my display names have stories and in a way mark as a certain part of me. The name Iris** didn't just fall out of the sky. Neither did Zao, Winter, or Midori. Those are the three I'll tell the story of sense they are so close.
                   If you have yet to notice, names are very very very important to me. I learn names of people and remember forever. If I get close to someone, or like some one, I rename them the moment it seems fit to me, and often times I'd tell that person right then and there "Hey, I like you, your special to me, I'm going to call you So in so, is that okay with you?" Usually, well typically the answer is yes. I've become sort of known for it, to the point where some folks ask to be nicknamed by me. It's a thing I do. But, I digress, back to my display names.
                 The name Midori, as I mentioned before is because of my favorite color being green, it doesn't really run much deeper than that. The name Zao I heard in theater class one day while working on a play. I got cast as that character. Soon after reading through a few of his lines, I fell in love with his personality. This was before I had a very large media presence. A few years down the line, one of my close friends used the name Hao for her display name, which of course sent my mind directly to the name Zao. I freaked out. I attacked her almost instantly to tell her the story, and right then I changed my display name from Midori to Zao.

                  A bit after that someone I had recently met, name was Forrest. I talked to Forrest often, so I changed my display name to Meadow. The thing is though, with that situation, the name did not spread like wild fire, where as the name Zao did. I used Zao everywhere for a bit of time. Here's why the display name Meadow is important. After some time, I decided that I didn't want to be Meadow anymore. You may be thinking to yourself, "Well why does it matter?" It matters! It does matter!! What's in a name? Everything. It's your identity. It is who you are. It is who you are referred to as. It is what people call you most. It is how people remember who you are. It is important. It matters.
                  Because I no longer wished to be referred to as Meadow, I wanted to change my display name. Not often before had I wanted to change my display name without already having a new name in mind. I went to a friend. I asked for help because the temporary display name I had been using until I came up with a more suitable one was Shy. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am not shy. In which case I had to come up with something more fitting, sooner than later.
                   With the help of a recently new friend, I came up with the name Iris** The story behind that is a very short one. I told my friend that I no longer wanted to use the Meadow, she told me the name Shy wasn't suitable. Soon after she told me that I some how reminded her of a flower, for some reason that was odd to me. I have no clue why, I can't explain that, but I took the compliment. She ventured on to ask me what my favorite flower was. I responded iris of course! I changed my display name at that very moment, and from then on, I have been referred to as Iris**
                    Since then I've added the name Winter to the front of it. But I don't really get called Winter, that was literally for the season. Come to think of it, I may be removing that part of the name soon. I really do like the name Iris, it has grown on me and the puns never get old, because the iris is apart of the eye as well. Because I am on social networks so often, I met people and they call me by what ever display name is shown. This being the case, on the internet, I am known as Iris**

                   I have a group chat on Skype and an app called Kik. On these two messaging apps I am known as Iris** They call me this, when they are excited to see me, when I seem sad, or worried, or upset. They use this name to get my attention, to thank me, to help me realize that because of me, they have circle of new friends that they probably otherwise never would have met. In these groups, I am the glue that brought these folks together and they go to these group chats to talk to other people who care about them.
                    In my group chat on Kik that I run, I change the theme every few weeks. In the chat we are always changing our display names and our profile pictures to fit the characters in the theme of the week. For example, the theme was "The Smurfs Village". I was Grouchy Smurf and before that, right around Christmas, the theme was "Whoville". I was Mr. Grinch, and one of my friends was Max the dog. The group only has about 15-17 members in it, from all over the place. Seeing what characters they decide to be, based on the theme is interesting because often the character that they choose reflect their own personality in some way. Right now the theme is "Cartoon Network" which allows the members of my group chat to be any character from that channel that they wish. There's a Bubbles from The Power Puff Girls, there's a Ed from the T.V. show Ed, Edd, and Eddy, there's a Dee Dee, from Dexter's Laboratory any many many more. I'd have to say one of my favorite references in the chat is my friend who decided to be Samurai Jack!

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                    What is there to a name? A lot. An entire being. Beings are important. You are important. What does your username or display name mean to you? What does your birth name mean to you? What would you name a pet if you were to get one soon? What's in a name? Everything.